A Ghostly Experience at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, FL
As I was making my way to St. Francisville, Louisiana I decided to stop in Pensacola and check out Fort Barrancas. I checked in through the gift shop and learned I would have the fort to myself. They had just opened for the day and no one was out there. I thought, fantastic! This way I can really feel the history of the fort. A ghostly encounter never even crossed my mind.
Fort Barrancas sits on a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay and the location inspired engineers of three nations to build forts here through the years. The British built the Royal Navy Redoubt here in 1763, the Spanish built two forts here sometime around 1797 then, American engineers remodeled the battery in 1840.
I was touring every square inch of the fort and found a narrow stair case that descended below ground, and then went through a tunnel, up a set of stairs that open up into this long hallway that went both to the left and the right. It has a very strange feel, the barometric pressure dropped drastically. I felt kind of creeped out which is not normal for me. I went down the steps, through the tunnel, then back up the steps and out of the fort. As I stood outside to ground myself I started thinking, if it’s haunted, it can’t hurt me. Besides, I have been a paranormal investigator for over 12 years so what the heck am I scared of? On that note I headed back in to that creepy hallway. As I made it to the top of the steps that eerie was back. I was looking to my right down the hall when all of a sudden I felt something behind me so I turned around to see what was there and at the end of the hall was a Confederate Soldier looking at me from around the corner at the end of the hall. I looked right into his eyes; he tipped his head at me and as he started back around the corner he vanished. I wanted to make sure I saw what I thought I saw so I headed down the hall way and around the corner and there was no one there! I had seen an apparition of a Confederate soldier! I started talking to him and telling him about my 4th great uncles who were in the war and talking about things from that period. I only saw him the one time but felt him as I walked throughout the fort.
When I got back to the gift shop I asked the Park Rangers if they were allowed to talk about ghosts and the man said “tell me your story, then I will tell you mine.” I proceeded to tell them how at one point I was casting two shadows and the one was about 6 ft. 2 inches tall. Then the footsteps I heard behind me then the apparition. They said many people report hearing things and seeing shadows but very few actually see him. The park ranger also went on to tell me that the soldier was one of two who were executed on the grounds. (Story goes he was hung because he fell asleep while he was on guard duty).
I hope to get back to the fort and see if my soldier ghost comes out to visit again. Next time I will be prepared knowing in advance the place is haunted. ~Jamie Roush